Soop's friendly and welcoming kitchen.

Doodle I'm ahead of the queue, ready and waiting with a very large plate and a silly . Will there be enough to feed us lot? Oh yes, of course...it's virtual. How come I can already taste it? I believe it's called wishful thinking

Aren’ t pics of beautiful young mums and their baby wonderful?
The love, the radiance, the pride - the lump in the throat ??
Soop they are gorgeous!

soop wow and tripple wow. Those portraits are amazing. No wonder chaos is so pleased.
Love the photo of your GD with the lovely teddy. What a handsome family you all are soop
maw if we 'virtual' friends could see from your posts how much paw meant to you and what a lovely man he was, then I have no doubt he was well aware of your feelings for him. You were lucky to have him but he was lucky to have you too.
topsy yes indeed a very nervous time. I just hope all those who are disappointed realise it's not the end of the world. Although exam results count for a lot there are many who don't have them who make a good living.
I have baked (small fanfare please I don't do it often ?) a triple choc sponge cake (chocolate filling and chocolate swirls on top). I will leave some on the counter for any chocoholics among you who would like a slice with their afternoon cuppa.

Our granddaughter with her firstborn son, Edward (Teddy). Lovely of them both.

Panache Thank you for your kind words.

ChaosInc You are deserving of the happiness your portraits will give you. I'm so relieved that the parcel arrived...at long last.

Love my wanders through these doors and sitting quietly in the corner,having a nibble of whatever is on offer............but hey no way can I chat with each one, but please do not feel neglected as I read all that you get up to................smiling a lot let me say!!!
That is what I get throughout your kitchen Soop and I find it both an uplift and a touch of real life,the good,the bad though devoid of the ugly...........but always so good natured.

Hearing about this log cabin as perhaps an escape together with lovely lounger chair pictures a mental image of sheer pleasure N & G.........and surely a sign of a good marriage.

Then not only do the delightfully cuddly babies bring out the ah`s in me I am rather like you Charley I go crazy for these doggie pictures,and I think I have fallen for Pip.....a real cutie GQ...........how we miss our charmer a miniature dachshund ........and yes tears are welling

There are never words to say that fits in with your situation Ann,I read and I feel utterly frustrated and only wish I could honestly do something worth while.Words are so empty although believe me I mean every word.

Indeed GreyD I can well understand your concern re the water levels being this low re the spawning of the fish etc and it seems unfair because we here in our western corner of Britain everything is back green and lush with no further concerns about the water levels.We can but hope that autumn will restore those depleted levels,although probably too late by then.

Another new baby for us to want to cuddle it seems Kitty......and yes another interesting new name!

Will keep you all posted as to any further developments and I think if you all concentrate hard on there being a hold up to the traffic on our road next week, we MAY be in with a purchaser.....but feeling in such rotten health the next worry is..........how on earth do we manage to... not only find that right place.....but move.......I think we need a miracle!!

Hope your parcel arrives safely Chaos..........
and Soop may I ask could you do a portrait of our Barney for me??? I would be so very honoured if you can fit it in.........

Lunch time...........so byeeeeeeeee

It's here!!!!!

I am speechless with gratitude to the kind, generous and highly talented kitchen co-ordinator we know as soop . The pictures are simply beautiful.

I know soop promised to show you all the artwork so I will not steal her thunder by uploading pictures, but can tell you that no photo will do justice to the real thing.
I cried.

A lovely, kind and caring post, Maw

Oh Annsixty your predicament, if that is not too trivial a word, brings back so many conflicting emotions especially of this time last year. I felt I coped very well at the time, but it was pretty bl***y awful in hindsight, not least for poor Paw who, because he never complained rarely let me see what was going on in his mind - it must have been unbearable. I found “kicking ass” with the medical people/Boots/SS when necessary (often) a good outlet for my anger. I suppose “this too will pass” is what I can draw from it, but you are often in my thoughts and I wonder how you are coping.

Pip is adorable. And...she enjoys flapjacks! Woof!

corner I trust that you slept well and that your batteries have been recharged.

Charleyg Four-legged creatures are a blessing. Taking care of them, in my experience, is a privilege.

Tripping through the kitchen door for a catch-up.

ChaosInc Your parcel was posted 1st class on Monday. Not as I said, on Friday last. Still, it really should have arrived by now. Today...maybe? Do hope so. x

N&G ^Us lot* look forward to seeing you on a photo complete with a brand new hair-do. It's a scary moment to have to trust a new stylist.

Ann Where on earth do you find the patience to deal with all the buggerations that those who should be in the know, and have the capacity to support you, continue to chuck your way? You, my dear, are an amazing woman.

I would never have said Pip was a cockapoo GrannieQueenie ! My brother has one and Pip is so much prettier .

Doodle ?. Sitting on a school car park watching young people collect their GCSE results - such a nervous time for them!

Morning all!

Callgirl - what a little charmer Max is. And what a wonderful head of hair he has. Grampy is particularly envious.

GrannieQueenie , Pip looks a very mellow lady . My old hairdresser has a miniature schnauzer too who is an absolute delight. I did laugh at your comment...everyone has worked out that I am looking to get a little space from Grampy , lovely though he is - he's the only one who hasn't worked that out !!!

Grey I like the picture you paint, I shall polish my shotgun immediately.

Ann sending you a hug and a bottle of something . You must want to pull your hair out sometimes !!

Corner I am putting a very comfortable armchair that is currently cluttering up my tiny bedroom in the West Wing, its a recliner, soft Italian leather and perfect for putting your feet up and reading, there is a spot there for you !!

I too am awaiting the baby's name Kitty . I love Persie's name so am expecting something equally unusual.

I am off to a new hairdresser in the village. I have been seeing my old one for 15 + years so this is a bit of a trauma as I usually go in and say' fix this please' . Now I'm going to have to explain what I want so anything could happen !!

Wish me luck.

callgirl I doubt if Mia would get over the front doorstep- Tara would be screaming at her to go away and stay away.

Pip is gorgeous but it must be difficult taking her out for a walk if she is not always happy to return when called. She is a cuddly dog.

She’s a cockapoo, kitty, slightly loopy and not always obedient, but she’s the snuggliest of creatures so a good family dog.

What brand is the gorgeous Pip, gq?

Grannyqueenie, Pip is gorgeous!
GreyD, Max`s hair was very dark brown at birth, he`s going lighter every time I see him, I feel he may end up a blondie like his dad. He`s off on his first holiday at the end of next week.
Kitty, when is the so far un-named baby expected? Dying to hear the name when announced.
CharleyG, you`d soon send Mia home, she`s not very sociable with either dogs or cats, doesn`t like them on her territory.

I don’t quite know how to sum up my feelings about your situation ann. The systems are a nightmare. I hope your day tomorrow will help recharge and yes, nag, nag, until you get sensible aids and help for your husband.

It would be good if there was a wet day for the second viewing panache, alternatively a road closure . This viewer sounds seriously interested, here’s hoping for a positive outcome for you.

A truly handsome young man callgirl. A real joy. Happy anticipation for you kitty. I’m also not sure how your daughter could follow Persephone, but of course she will..

Good luck with the negotiations grannyq, the stuff of a long marriage . Mr C prevailed in our last attempt at a compromise, I won’t be saying it out loud but he was right .

I’m envious of your separate room to come n&g. What a treat. Not so sure I’d be doing much crafting in one, probably a lot of reading and even more sleeping.

I’m convinced your parcel will arrive safely chaos, you and soop must both be on tenterhooks. Things do get delayed, maybe tomorrow.

Been on Granny details today, much fun but a bit weary now and hoping for a an uninterrupted night. Wish me luck.

He’s a she, called Pip, charleygirl and yes she is gorgeous, soft and very snuggly indeed but she’s not as innocent as she appears. Recall has never been her best thing and last week she blotted her copybook by going awol while out with her regular dog walker. She was only persuaded to return when dd2 turned up with some flapjack! So we will have to be very wary of allowing her off the lead and have been provided with an enormously long training lead to use... the sort that could lassoo a whole herd - or more likely trip up a granny!

What is the name of that gorgeous 4 legged fella? I actually prefer dogs and cats to the 2 legged variety as I am sure many on GN know as I frequently want to smuggle Hattie and Sam home with me. Mia could come too but she can be a tad naughty.

Tara has given up waiting for me to go to bed with her.

Gq you didn’t miss much of the story. Our car was having the mechanical equivalent of a phantom pregnancy! The engine sensors keeps telling us things are wrong and they aren’t. When it happens, it puts the wind up you. It’s happened twice since we bought it.
I was talking to a lady the other day who has been walking up at Derwent and she was shocked at how low the water in the reservoirs is. Love the photo of your grand dog! He looks very much at home!

I use the ID pullups, about £8 for 14 online and £12:95 for the same pack from the local Millercare.
I feel like telling them what to do with them but I am too polite.
H is also having problems with his feet, a fungal nail infection but also swollen painful feet probably due to poor circulation, the nurse practitioner has requested intervention ,to be told, they don't normally deal with that.
FGS he is 82 with dementia and suffered a severe stroke, what do they deal with?

chaos having been a recipient myself, I know that parcel from our dear soop will be well worth the wait.
greyduster did I miss a bit of the story, does this mean your ailing car has made a good recovery? I know what you mean about river and reservoir levels, it’s very worrying for all sorts of reasons.
callgirl Little Max looks truly scrumptious. kitty I’m waiting with bated breath and pondering how your dd could ever follow Persephone! I have to admit here to some baby envy, no more little ones coming my way. Dd4 is the only one with no children and feels it keenly, she had a wobble last week when she saw photos of things I’d done with her various nieces...hopes she’ll see me being a granny to her babies one day -we both had a teary moment when she said that to me.
Ann you really could not make it up, I hope you get a bit of help with it all, not least because you’ve probably saved social care services a small fortune over the last few years.
Loving the thought of the West Wing, n&g, wishing you many happy hours of escape from grampy crafting in your new pad. Discussions are being had here about improving our conservatory, it’s not going well...I fear there will be stormy waters ahead. I did a lot of compromising in moving to this house as opposed to the one across the road that I preferred. The one we have has actually proved to be the better option but I won’t mention that too much in the ongoing discussion! But then I guess compromising, on both sides, has got us this far....almost 49 years
Big sympathy for those in the midst of trying to buy/sell its a very stressful time. Even 10 years(autocorrect kept writing tears, not so far wrong really!) on I remember it well.
I’m sure I’ve missed lots of folks, not intentionally at all. Wishing you all a quiet evening and for those who are struggling, for whatever reason, an easier tomorrow. I’ll leave you with a shot of, shhh, my favourite grand dog who has come for a wee holiday! x